Council votes to fire Bethlehem police officer

John Nye was embroiled in controversy after March police chase, subsequent probe.

Bethlehem police Officer John Nye, who has been suspended without pay since… (Jane Therese, Special to…)

December 07, 2010|By Pamela Lehman, OF THE MORNING CALL

Bethlehem City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to fire a police officer accused of lying during an internal investigation and disobeying orders.

All six council members voted to fire officer John Nye. The seventh council member, Jean Belinski, abstained from voting because she did not attend two of Nye's previous hearings. There was no public comment after the vote.

Nye was the focus of three council hearings that delved into his actions after a March 8 pursuit, crash and internal investigation. Nye, who has been suspended without pay since June, has publicly battled to stay with the department he joined in 2008.

Before the vote, council member Karen Dolan said the public hearings helped the council understand the difficulties of being a police officer. Council member Gordon Mowrer also noted that Nye "deserves a second chance, just not with our department."

After the vote, Nye's attorney, John Waldron, said his client would decide Wednesday whether he will appeal to Northampton County Court. Waldron said the unanimous vote may affect Nye's decision to appeal. Nye declined to comment.

Bethlehem police Commissioner Stuart Bedics said the vote sent the message to the public that integrity was important to the police department and was critical for officers.

"Nobody wins in this situation," Bedics said. "I never thought in my first year as commissioner that we'd have to terminate an officer."

Bedics said the vote was accurate and shows the residents of Bethlehem that police officials are committed to improving the department.

Waldron had argued officials' move to fire Nye is an unfair punishment when compared to other officers' disciplinary actions and punishment. Waldron said Nye admitted making mistakes, but argued Nye was an exemplary officer who made dozens of arrests.

City solicitor John Spirk Jr. argued keeping Nye would make him a target for future lawsuits and Nye's integrity as a police officer was irreversibly damaged.

Police officials said Nye should be fired because he ignored his commissioner's order not to contact officer Michael Lenner, who was also involved in the internal investigation after the pursuit and arrest of Corey Vazquez. Police said on March 8, Vazquez ran twice from police and was suspected of driving a car equipped with stolen parts.

Bedics said Nye failed to disclose that he had seen a surveillance video of Vazquez's arrest, which police officials were investigating to determine if Nye had used excessive force. Although Nye was cleared of police brutality, police officials said Nye repeatedly lied during the internal investigation.

On Wednesday night, council members are scheduled to begin another round of termination hearings for Lenner, who is charged with tampering with evidence for allegedly destroying the surveillance video. Lenner waived his right to a preliminary hearing and is scheduled to face trial on the charge in Northampton County court Feb. 7, according to court records.

The last Bethlehem council hearing to terminate an officer was 1988, council President Robert Donchez said. In that hearing, officer Jack Bartholomew was suspended for 70 days and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine after police officials said he submitted bogus doctors' excuses for sick leave.